Summer recap, part 1: walking weekend in Germany

Despite the fact that we are going to have summer weather at least through the next week, I can definitely feel that summer is drawing to an end.  Felix just started his final year of secondary school this week.  Florian and Charlotte are travelling in Japan, and Gillis is interrailing across Central and Eastern Europe with friends - they'll all be gone for the next three weeks until university starts at the end of the month.  So it's quiet around here but at the same time back to routine.

Which means I have some time to post about some fun things from the summer.  Ingrid and I decided to celebrate ten years of walking together with a walking weekend in the Eifel region in Germany.  We stayed at a bed and breakfast in a very small village.  We were given maps and detailed descriptions of five different walks ranging from 13 to 28 kilometers.  Once we made our choice, the lady who runs the B&B drove us to the starting point of the walk and dropped us off - and it was up to us to find our way back!

We were blessed with incredibly perfect walking weather - bright and sunny and just on the good side of not being too hot.  Our first walking day took us around the famous three round lakes (Maaren) near Daun.  Gorgeous!

Our second day was our longest: after being dropped off by the B&B lady in the morning (with a picnic she made for us), we took the whole day to do the 20 kilometers back, enjoying the rolling hills, forest, and little towns on our way.

Finally, our last day, we stopped on our way home to visit the little town of Monreal (picture below) and the much bigger and more touristic town of Monschau.  Both are renowned for their half-timbered houses and narrow streets, and both boast a castle that sits high above the town center.

 It was a very enjoyable weekend and a great way to celebrate our walking anniversary.